Blue-printing machine.



No. 769,242. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

s. B. WHINERY. Y

BLUE PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1903.

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fiiorney PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904,

S. B. WHINERY. BLUE PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1903.

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N0 MODEL J0, maze 6mm? W ffzzarneg UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

SAMUEL BRENT WVHINERY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

BLUE-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,242, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed September 2, 1903. Serial No. 171,651. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, SAMUEL BRENT WHIN- ERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Blue- Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification. Q

My invention relates to blue-printing machines, and has for its object to provide a machine Which will make blue-prints by the use of a lamp having a long line of light instead of a point. v

Although I show only a mercury-vapor lamp, it is to be understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of the principle I employ, and it is immaterial what the source of light is so long as a line in front of the printing-surface is substantially uniformly lighted.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of my invention, showing a vertical cylinder; Fig. 2, a central vertical section thereof; Fig. 3, a plan thereof; Fig. 4, an elevation of the electric switch used; Fig. 5, an end elevation of the switchtripping device; Fig. 6, a vertical section of another form of my invention wherein I show a horizontal cylinder; Fig. 7, a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 8 a detail of the switch shown in Fig. 6.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 5, 1 designates a vertical glass cylinder mounted on the circular base 2, having wheels 3 adapted to run on the circular track 4. The base is driven by the bevel gear-wheel 5 in mesh with the circular rack 6 on the base. 7 is the shaft which actuates the wheel 5 and which is driven byasuitablemotor. (Nots'hown.) Thevertical post or shaft 8 is centrally and fixedly placed in the cylinder and is supported in the foot 9 and supports the cross-arms 10, connected to the circular rim 11 at the top of the cylinder, which cross-arm forms abearing on which the cylinder turns. The horizontal parallel arms 12 are secured to the shaft 8 near each end of the cylinder and support at their extremities the vertical glass tubes 13, having at their lower ends bulbs 14, containing mercury. The tubes stand diametrically opposite and close to the inner surface of the cylinder. The two lower bulbs of the tubes are connected together by electric conductors or wires 15, which terminate within the liquid mercury. The upper ends of the tubes are connected to the fixed jaws 16 of the switch. (Shown in Fig. 4). The switch is supported on insulation 17 and consists of the post 17, to which the movable switch blade or knife 18 is secured, and the fixed blades or jaws 16, (one only being shown.) The wires 15 are shown made into a cable 15 and connected to the post 17. 19 is a vertical arm on the insulation 17 and has a horizontal arm 20, containing two screws, one, 20, forming an adjustable tension-regulating device for the switch-opening spring 21, connected to the screw and to the insulation 22 on the top of the knife 18, and-the other, screw 23, forming an adjustable stop for limiting the upward movement of the knife. The screw 23 is engaged by the insulation 22 when the switch is open. The knife 18 has an insulated end 24, with the upper side of which the catch 25 engages to lock it closed. The catch has a tripping-arm 26 extending angularly therefrom, a spring 27 serving to hold the arm in its elevated position and the catch thrown toward the knife 18. The catch has an inclined end which the end 24 of the closing-switch engages and pushes back until the end passes the hook or shoulder of the catch, the spring 27 then pushing said hook over the said end 24. The shaft 8 carries below the lower arm 12 a collar 28, provided with the downwardly-hent arm 29, the collar being connected by one or more arms 28 with the base 2. The said arm has a branch arm 30, carrying a block having the two inclined or cam surfaces 31 and 32, which meet at their lower end. This cam-block stands below the end 24 of the switch when open and serves to cam the switch down, so that the catch 26 can lock it closed. A lower extension of the arm 29 has pivoted thereto a tripping-dog 33, hanging down below the level of the arm 26, and has on one side an incline 34, which cams or pushes the arm 29 down, and thereby removes the catch 25 from engagement with the switch. A stop-lug 35, secured to the arm 29 on the opposite side of the dog 33 from that which bears the incline 34, prevents the dog 33 from swinging in the direction of the lug when the dog is tripping the catch, but permits the dog to rotate in the opposite direction when the cylinder is turned backwardly. 36 designates the usual apron which clamps to the cylinder the sensitized paper and the drawings to be copied.

The operation is as follows: The paper and drawing being clamped in position between the outside of the cylinder 1 and the apron 36, the shaft 7 is started, whereupon the cylinder rotates, causing the incline 31 to close the switch, which is locked by the catch 25, as hereinabove described. As soon as the switch is closed the current passes through the tubes 13, in which there is always enough vapor of mercury to form an electric conductor. The current causes an increased vaporization of the mercury and an intense incandescence of the vapor, the tubes becoming lines of light from one end of the cylinder to the other. As the cylinder revolves the light acts evenly on all parts of the cylinder. When the dog 33 reaches the trip-arm 26 of the catch 25, the incline 34 engages the arm and trips the catch. The switch is then opened by the spring 21 and rests against the stop-screw 23.

Referring now to Figs. 6, 7, and 8, 37 designates a horizontal glass cylinder having the apron 38. The cylinder is provided with end rings 39, connected to hubs 40 and 41, the

hub 40 having a bearing directly on the hori- .58 and 59 of the four-blade switch.

zontal tube 42, supported rigidly in the end frames 43 by means of set-screws. The other hub, 41, is carried by the sleeve 44, running loosely on the said tube and on a bearing in the frame 45. The hub 40, and consequently the cylinder, are held from endwise movement by the frame 43, which engages one end of the hub, and by the collar 46, which engages the other end of the hub. The sleeve 44 is driven by the gear-wheel 47, secured thereto between the frames 43 and 45, which provide bearings for the shaft 48, carrying the gear-wheel 49, meshing with the wheel 47. The shaft 48 has a pulley 50, driven by the belt 51, running over the pulley 52 of the shaft 53 of the electric motor 54. The tube supports two arms 55, which carry the mercury-vapor lamp 56, which is like the one described in connection with Figs. 1 to 5. The ends of the lamp are connected by wires 57 to the stationary contacts (Shown in Fig. 8.) The wires 60 connect the motor 54 to the stationary switch-contacts 61 and 62, and the wire 63 connects one pole of a source of electric energy 65 to the knife-supports 66 and 68, and the wire 63 connects the opposite pole with the supports 67 and 69. 70, 71, 72, and 73 are the switch blades or knives, which are respectively connected pivotally to the supports 66, 67, 68, and 69, and said blades are adapted to contact, respectively, with the contacts 58, 59, 61, and 62. A catch 74 engages with insulation 75 on the top of the several switch-blades to lock the switch closed, and the spring 76 opens the switch when the catch is withdrawn. The catch has the triparm 77 and the spring 78, which serve the same purposes as the trip-arm 26 and the spring 27, above described. The arm 79 is carried by one of the spider-arms, which connects the hub 41 to the ring 38. On this arm 79 is a cam 80, like the cam-block above described.

The operation of the mechanism shown in Figs. 6 to 8 is as follows: The paper and draw ing being in place between the cylinder and the apron, the motor 54 is started by closing the switch by hand or otherwise, causing the cylinder to rotate. The closing of the switch causes current from the source of energy 65 to enter, by the wire 63, the current then traversing support 66, blade 70, contact 58, the wires 57 and the lamp 56, the contact 59, the blade 71, the support 67, wire 63', and the source of energy 65. The current traced causes the lamp 56 to glow. Another circuit from the source of energy 65 has the follow ing course: wire 63, support 68, blade 72, contact 61, wires 60 and motor 54, contact 62, blade 73, support 69, wire 63, and the source of energy 65. This current operates the motor. When the cylinder has made a revolution, the cam 80 releases the switch from the catch, and the spring 76 opens all the circuits, whereupon the motor stops and the lamps are extinguished.

On Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown the reflectors 13, which intensify the light on those portions of the cylinder near the lamps and shut off the light from the other portions thereof. On Fig. 6 I have shown the reflector 56 in section below the lamp.

I do not desire to limit myself to the precise mechanism shown or described, but desire to include in my invention all change which fairly comes within the scope thereof, as set forth in the fore part of this specification.

In the claims I have referred to the glass cylinders or their equivalents as printingsurfaces,, by which I mean a surface which supports the photographic paper and drawings during the printing operation.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a photographic-printing apparatus, a printing-cylinder, a source of electric light, means for causing relative uniform rotation of the cylinder and light, switching means for controlling the current for the light, and means for automatically causing the switch to eX- holding the switch closed, and a tripping detinguish the light at a predeterminedpoint of Vice for automatically releasing the switch. IO said rotation. Signed at Pittsburg this 27th day of August,

2. In a photographic-printing apparatus, a 1903.

printing-cylinder, a source of electric light, SAMUEL BRENT \VHINERY. means for causing relative uniform rotation Vitnesses: of the cylinder and the light, a switch for open- F. N. BARB ER,

ing and closing the light-circuit, a catch for A. M. STEEN. 

